MYD Unveils White Roof Project

On Wednesday, August 11th, the Environmental Committee of the Manhattan Young Democrats held New York City’s environmental event of the year when it unveiled its brand new website www.whiteroofproject.com at 10 Degrees Wine Bar in the East Village. A cast of environmental proponents served as speakers, and more than 50 supporters were on hand to celebrate the event.

The new website encourages building owners in New York to paint their roofs with highly reflective white paint as a way to reduce energy costs and keep the city cooler in the summer. It does this by allowing building owners who would like to have their roofs painted for free identify themselves on the site, and then connects them to painting volunteers and financial donors. The site also uses a “google map-like” computer program to track the progress of MYD in its longterm effort to white coat the roof of every city building.

“I think we can all agree that New York City has been hot this summer,” declared MYD Environmental Committee Chairman Stephen Spear. “In fact its been hotter here than in the communities that surround the city because of the millions of square feet of sun-light attracting black tar surface, much of which is on roof tops.”

The event was cosponsored by the New York City chapter of the Sierra Club, which has its own cool roofs initiative, and supported by NYC Cool Roofs Program Outreach Coordinator Cammi Climaco, who spoke at the event.

White Roof Project founder and website creator Juan Carlos displayed modesty as he unveiled the new site explaining that the ambitious project was ” a little idea I came up with on Earth Day this year.” The project already has its first client. The Bowery Mission Center, a homeless shelter and medical clinic in Lower Manhattan is scheduled to have five of its roofs coated by MYD in September. The organization raked in an impressive $2200 in public contributions toward that project on the night of the event and Bowery Mission Operations Director Matt Krivich was on hand to express his thanks.

Anyone interested in joining the fun as a painting volunteer for the White Roof Project should contact MYD Community Service Director Kim Moscaritolo at service@gomyd.com.